Feverish Dream
by Dally-Fang
Summary: Garish breaths escaped his flaring nostrils, and he covered his mouth with his hands, which trembled from the pressure of the explosion. He stuffed his other hand on his ears to cover the noise, but it was no use. Nico desperately meandered away from the explosion but stopped when he remembered her. His eyes grew larger with fear and shudders of terror racked his broad shoulders.
1. Preface

Preface:  
Edited: September 28, 2012

**Garish breaths escaped his flaring **nostrils, and he covered his mouth with his hands, which trembled from the pressure of the explosion. He stuffed his other hand on his ears to cover the noise, but it was no use. Nico desperately meandered away from the explosion but stopped when he remembered _her_. His eyes grew larger with fear and shudders of terror racked his broad shoulders. He darted back and pushed everyone away from him. Nico bellowed at the top of his lungs, but nobody could hear him. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion, making him plummet to the ground. He cussed and continued to sprint, until he could see her platinum blonde hair. Nico sprinted toward her, but another explosion started beside him. He dodged and crawled on the ground, ignoring the quivers the Earth sent his way.

"Watch out!" he yelled.

She toppled onto the ground and dodged his brutal attacks, making Nico smile a bit; however, he stopped once he saw his spear pierce her chest. The moment where she was hurt would always be imprinted in his mind. She screamed and thrashed, throwing the spear off her and crawling away. He stepped on her ankle, threw her against the ground, clutched her hair and tore pieces off. She growled and struggled against his firm grasp, but he slapped her around until he finally stopped. Nico ran toward her, but time seemed to stop. As he approached them, she wrapped her hands around his wrist and fought him, making him clench his sword tighter. He threw his weapon on her chest, impaling her several times, making her gargle and touch her chest. She blinked minutely, trying to comprehend what was happening. Nico yelled and threw himself at the monster of a man. He easily threw him off and sent him to the ground. He looked at Nico, scoffed, and left with the rest of them. Nico crawled toward her and grabbed her nearly lifeless body. She whimpered for a second, before she became quiet.

"I love you," she murmured, before she sealed her whitened eyes. He wept, bringing her to his chest. Nico hugged her body, which was limp and as pallid as _death_ itself.

"Please come back. I love you," he pleaded. He touched her wrist, and he sobbed once he felt her pulse wavering. "Remember what I said: I'll always love you no matter what happens. I'll always be there for you, even if one of us dies. I love you and nothing will separate us. You can't die."

He felt her pulse and whimpered; she wasn't alive anymore.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I know it's short, but it sets the stage for the rest of the chapters. This story isn't going to be long, maybe around five to seven chapters. I already have chapter one ready, but that depends on the responses. I hope you all enjoyed it, and critism is welcomed. By the way, this is my first Percy Jackson fan fiction, and I enjoyed writing about Nico. I love him. He's around fourteen or fifteen in this story, but I'll post the definite age on the next chapter. Also, I have a Wattpad account, which is where I post original stories, and it would mean a lot if any of you would read it. My account is called DannyDeAngelus and the story is called The Untold Story of Titania Cosmos. Here is an excerpt:

**Derron grabbed her entire head** and slammed her against the floor. She yelped and clutched her forearms with her palms. Trying to escape, she placed herself on all fours and dragged her nearly limp body across the room. He chuckled under his breath darkly and stalked, much like a predator, toward her. Grabbing her cheek, he turned her around and stepped on her ankle, making her whimper. She tried to claw her way out, but it did nothing, except bother him. He dragged her body, making sure her body scraped against the floorboards. Derron grasped her entire body with both hands and lifted her off the ground, making her face him. He shifted on his feet, meandering closer to the bay window. She looked at the window and nearly cried out. He was going to throw her.

Chest heaving with energy, he clutched her closely and placed his body, with his knees touching the cushion on the bay window, almost outside the window. He grinned maliciously at her, watching her as she cried silently to herself, and threw half her body out the window. Desperately, she threw herself on him, but it was too late; her body was slipping away, with only her feet positioned on the actual glass. Her tears obscured her eyesight, and she began to pray under her breath.

"Now you want me, don't you? I don't repulse you now!"

She whimpered as she felt burly droplets of blood sliding down her ankles and down her neck. Her fingertips glided toward the glass, and almost against her will, she gripped the glass with all her might.


	2. Chapter 1: Feverish Dream

Chapter 1: Feverish Dream  
Edited: September 30, 2012

**He gripped her body tighter and tighter,** until he could feel his hands leaving an imprint on her body. Nico abruptly stopped and whimpered at the emotions that attacked his mind; without thinking, he rested his head on her stomach and touched her cheek. A choked sob constricted the back of his throat, making his shoulders quiver. Someone touched his back, murmured something he couldn't hear in his ear, and grazed his face until he was forced to move. The hands removed her from his hold, which made him growl and press her to his chest.

"She's mine! Leave!" he exclaimed. "She'll get better."

His voice dropped to a whisper, making him waver and stagger to his knees. He pressed his face to her stomach and wept, clutching her until she was no longer there. Percy touched his shoulder, patted his back, and whispered in his ear, but Nico couldn't hear him. Drowning in self-misery, Nico felt himself losing his mind; he would no longer be the same.

* * *

"Pathetic," he whispered to himself, inspecting his appearance in the mirror. His hair was messily sprayed over his pallid forehead, which was constantly creased due to thought. Nico's eyes were dilated and larger due to constant terror; he couldn't sleep anymore because he would always watch her death in his mind. It never ended, it never stopped, and it showed no notion that it ever was going to. His calloused fingertips reached over and touched his face, which was ghastly and spotted with fatigue. A heavy sigh escaped his chapped lips, before he walked away from his _reflection_ - one of the many things he feared. If Tansy saw him, she would scold him...but she wasn't here, so what was the point of looking proper?

Whirling around, he narrowed his eyes, sighed, and stalked away but not before his father roughly grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the side. He glowered at Hades, nearly ripping his hand away, but the older man growled and pushed him toward him. His father's eyes were hard and steely, but under all the forced maliciousness, he seemed gloomy. Nico annoyingly clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, before he halted and stared at his father. Hades loosened his hold on Nico but didn't let go; his son wasn't capable of anyone letting go of him now.

"You need to let go," Hades stated carefully. His son didn't look like he could handle anything now. He had to tread slowly and see where his advice would take him. Hades glanced at Nico, who quivered from rage and directed his anger at his father, who nearly stepped back but held his ground.

"How can any of you expect me to let go? All of you tell me to let go, but you are gods. Gods can forget about anyone quickly, just like you forgot about my mother and Bianca. I'm not like you! I don't forget someone special. She was everything to me, and it's only been two weeks. She's the love of my life," he whispered, his shoulders racking. "You, the gods, caused her death. I just know it. She wasn't supposed to exist, but she did. The gods killed her. You-you killed her."

He crumbled to the ground and held his forearms, so he wouldn't fall apart. Nico was trying to hold himself together, but he couldn't anymore; he wasn't stable, and he wasn't Nico anymore. He had lost himself forever unless...he stopped in mid-thought, which caused him to stop his trembling and his screams of unfairness. Nico stared at himself, glowered at his father, and thought back to the rules the gods had laid out for them. There was one rule that his father had mentioned that stuck out:

Don't bring the dead back to life.

A hopeful grin graced his lips, making his father stagger backwards. His frantic actions caught Nico's attention, which caused Nico's eyes to blaze with internal mirth; he had finally found the cure to his problem.

* * *

An ominous sensation engulfed his entire body as he hustled out of his bedroom, sprinted out of his father's palace, and entered Hades' Realm. He couldn't ignore the shivers that slithered down his back, or the feeling that someone was watching him, waiting for him to fall into a trap. Nico glanced behind his shoulders at his surroundings, before he huffed and clenched his sword.

Swallowing the lump that constricted his throat, he munched on his bottom lip and carefully meandered around the grounds. Reluctantly, he dipped his head in the entrance of Tarturus and grimaced. He didn't think she belong here, but he knew the gods didn't like _mistakes_. Unfortunately, she had been the worst mistake of all. Nico found it ironic Tancy had been _hunted_ when she personally knew all about the hunt. It was as if it had been _programmed_ into her brain. Because of this, she had been hunted by the gods, and they had made it seem like it was an accident. Nico knew better; he knew they killed her, and they would pay.

Once he found her and brought her back to life, he would show no mercy toward the gods. They didn't appreciate them, and he would make sure they never killed their _"accidents"_ again.

* * *

A wave of coldness washed over his lean figure, making his head pound and hammer repeatedly until he could no longer bare the pain. He hissed at the searing sensation that attacked his head, but he stopped from making any noises. Nico stayed quiet with his hands gingerly grazing his head and massaging his temples. His eyes wandered around Hades' Realm for a second, before his eyes darted back to himself. All this stress was finally getting to him. He coughed and shook his head, trying to get rid of all the ill thoughts he had. Nico needed to finish his mission before he could rest. He couldn't stop now because he was getting really close to finding her. His head lulled to the side, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Nico could feel himself becoming lighter and lighter, until he could no longer feel his body...

Nearly inaudible footsteps halted in front of him, stomping slightly on the ground until Nico stirred and sluggishly jumped from his position. He reeled out his sword and immediately poised it in a defensive manner. Light chuckles responded, and Nico blinked minutely to make sure he was seeing correctly.

"Surprised?" she asked, bouncing on her heels. Her teasing smile sent him over the edge, and he gradually stuffed his sword away. He stared at her for a second longer, before his lips twitched upward, and his feet meandered toward her. Nico enveloped her in a hug, making them swish around until her giggles stopped. She burrowed her head in his chest and allowed her eyes to wander to his face. He looked mature and older with light wrinkles decorating the corners of his eyes. She stood on the tips of her toes and grazed his wrinkles with her fingers, making them dissolve.

"Stress?" she questioned. He nodded.

"How are you here? I've been looking for you everywhere. How did you end up here?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. She sighed and patted the ground beneath her with her feet. Positioning herself over the ground, she frowned and gnawed on her bottom lip.

"Before I start, you have to answer a question," she prompted. He nodded.

"How long have you been looking for me?"

Nico frowned and placed his elbow over his knees. What kind of question was that? Of course, he would be looking for her for a long time. She was an important figure in his life whether she knew it or not.

"Ever since you died," he responded. Her eyebrows furrowed at his comment, but she let it slide. She nodded and fingered her wrist, until her head snapped in his direction. Her eyes blazed with determination and her lips grew taut. She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together, smiling and grimacing at the same time. Nico offered her a smile, and she received it with a bit of sadness.

"You should stop looking for me," she stated knowingly. "It'll only bring you trouble."

"What do you mean? I already found you. I'm with you right now," he commented, clearly confused by her choice of words. She exhaled briefly and swung their hands together. Her nervous actions were making him wary, and it was stirring something familiar at the pit of his stomach.

"I'm not alive, Nico, and I'll never be able to be alive again. You should forget about me and find someone else. Any other girl will make you happy. I know it. Please stop looking for me." Her voice was tinged with gloom and determination - determination at making him stop his obsessive actions.

He shook his head. Why couldn't she understand him? She was the only person for him. He had already let go of his sister, but he wasn't going to let go of her. She was his everything, even though they were both young. He loved her, and he couldn't and wouldn't let her go. Her death had been disastrous, and he could still see her lifeless body in his hands, with her blood dripping from her chest. He could still hear her screams of agony, her whitened eyes, and her ghastly skin. He could still feel...he shuddered and stopped. Her fingers wound themselves tighter around his, and she moved forward until their faces were only a few inches apart.

"Stop thinking about it," she soothed. "It's over now."

She offered him a smile, but he shook his head and glanced at their intertwined fingers. He tightened his hold on her and brought her to his chest. Nico nearly sobbed, but stopped because he didn't want her to feel like he wasn't in control of himself. He needed her like he needed oxygen.

"I let him kill you," he whispered. She shook her head and chewed on her bottom lip. Her voice wavered with raw emotions, causing her chest to heave up and down continuously.

"Don't say that," she murmured. "It's nobody's fault."

Nico was silent for a moment, which allowed her to bring his face closer to hers. He could see her dainty facial features clearly, but he could still see the part that signified she wasn't alive: her eyes. They were bottomless pits of nothing, showing no emotion and no intention. She was nothing anymore, but he shook his head at that thought; she didn't have a soul anymore.

"Why are you here?" he asked her, changing the subject. She looked around and frowned, causing her head to snap in a different direction. Nico grabbed her face with her thumb and moved her in his direction. He could still read her. Because of this, he knew she wasn't supposed to be here.

"You aren't supposed to be here, are you?" She shook her head.

"You're never going to find me."

"Why do you keep saying that? I already found you. We can do the ritual now and bring you back-"

"You can't!" she exclaimed. "I'm dead, Nico. I can't come back. Think about what Hades would do to you. He would damn you to Tartarus for disobeying him. I'm fine, Nico. I'm dead and I'm fine with that fact."

Tears pricked his eyes, but he shook his head and tried to harden himself. He placed their intertwined hands near his heart, and he recited the words he had told her before she died:

"I'll always love you no matter what happens. I'll always be there for you, even if one of us dies. I love you and nothing will separate us."

She nearly cried but couldn't. All she could do was feel eternal sadness. Although she didn't blame anyone for her death, she still felt saddened beyond belief; her _mother_ had ultimately killed her. She swallowed the lump that constricted the back of her throat, before she faced Nico. _This was real,_ but she didn't want to tell him.

"Nico, I love you, but you have to move on. The prophecy is complete, and the gods are at peace. Leave me be," she pleaded as she disentangled herself from him. He reached out to grab her, but she dodged and backtracked.

"I'm sorry, Nico," she whispered.

She turned around and sprinted away, causing her platinum-blonde hair to spill over her shoulders. He followed her, bellowing her name repeatedly until he could only see her hair in the distance. Nico screamed and ran, following her track until he could no longer see her blonde hair. The darkness engulfed his being, and he staggered to the ground, banging his fists onto the floor. His eyes wandered around him, desperately trying to find her. Nico's body jolted, causing him to frown. His body felt heavier, and his head was hurting once more. He fell to his knees once more and screamed until the heaviness took over...

His body jolted upwards, which made his eyes grow large and alert. Nico scanned his surroundings and found nothing, which made him grow suspicious. He glowered at himself and huffed at his foolish actions. Nico was sitting where he had always been sitting, and he hadn't moved. His eyes were covered by slumber, which brought an abrupt realization in his mind. He had been sleeping this entire time. Nico bellowed out his frustration, ripping strands of his hair and pounding his fists onto the ground.

"I can't ever do anything right!" he screamed garishly.

Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he hurriedly swiped them away. He glared at his surroundings and stepped away from everything. Nico couldn't trust anything. He replayed the dream in his mind and touched his forehead; it was warm. Nico scowled and cussed, throwing his hands in the air. After a moment of silence, he replayed her words and figured something out; in his dream, she had been to set on making him believe it wasn't real and that he couldn't find her. Perhaps she had actually visited him? With this in mind, he shook his head and trudged deeper inside Hades' Realm. He would find her, even though all he had as proof was a feverish dream.

* * *

This was longer and slightly choppy, but I really enjoyed this. The italics actually play a bigger role in the story, so please pay attention to it. Please check out my Wattpad account called DannyDeAngelus and my story called The Untold Story of Titania Cosmos. Also, check out my other stories on this account.


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